RE: greetings- off topic, but current

[Leonard Koenick <lkoenick...>]

I just re-read this and want to say how appreciative I am for the
interspersed translations.  It, I am sure, saved us from a lot of "what does
that mean?"


Leonard Koenick

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
[mailto:owner-jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org]On Behalf Of Robert Cohen
Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2002 10:27 PM
To: World music from a Jewish slant
Subject: Re: greetings- off topic, but current

>On Yom Kippur itself people tend to wish each other just a "Gut Yontef/chag
>same'ach".

I obviously can't answer for what yidden in general do (three Jews, four
greetings?), but "chag sameach" is, in truth, an inappropriate greeting on
Yom Kippur.

The reason it's an *appropriate* greeting for the shalosh regalim
(Pesach/Shavuous/Sukkos--making this posting still current!) is that the
"ikar" of these holidays--Hebrew for, I believe, the essence or the central
principle, as it were--is, indeed, simcha--rejoicing.  It's a mitzvah to
rejoice on those holidays; we're *supposed* to rejoice.  Hence, "chag
sameach"--the second word deriving, of course, from simcha/joy.

The ikar of Yom Kippur, otoh, isn't simcha/rejoicing; it's (i.e., the
mitzvah of the day is) "to afflict our souls" and what that entails (most
notably, obviously, fasting) and is intended to bring about:  teshuvah
(poorly, "repentance")/introspection/tefillah (prayer).

It is true that Hassidim derive from the alternative name Yom Hakippurim
that Yom Kippur is *like* (= in Hebrew the "k" at the beginning of some
words, though that's _not_ true in "kippurim," which is just the plural of
"kippur"; it's a play on words, which is a time-honored source of
drash/commentary)--anyway, that Yom Kippur = Yom Hakippurim = that Yom
Kippur is, play on words-wise, *like* Purim--and ultimately a day of joy,
because we're confident that we will, indeed, be forgiven as G*d promises to
forgive us.  (Such is, indeed, affirmed in the Yom Kippur liturgy itself.)
I _do_ accept that drash, but I still think it's a stretch, and not really
appropriate, to convey that wish (for a "chag sameach") on Yom Kippur--and
I've never heard other Jews so wish each other.

Well-meaning non-Jews, otoh, will often wish a "Happy Holiday" (which is
more or less what "chag sameach" means) to Jews--as they know it's a
"holiday"/holy day.

--Robert Cohen

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